Knights, Castles, and Nukes
The planet Dordavia languished in late medieval times until a scientific revolution about fifty years ago that launched them into the nuclear age. Now, cars and airplanes powered by fusion cores are starting to trickle into the planet's cities, while the rural areas remain primitive. In this technologically unbalanced world, the mighty nation Uthenor sits on the brink of civil war - and the brink of complete destruction. Geography *· Dordavia is approximately the same size as Earth, with a similar overall climate and comparable seasons. *· Dordavia has one enormous continent, surrounded by the Asomian Ocean, which contains a few islands. *· Two inland seas define the continent: The Marauder Sea in the west, and the Sea of Wisdom in the East. *· An immense mountain range called the Ordric Mountains divides the continent down the center, running from north to south. *· Most of the land to the east of the Ordric Mountains is claimed by the nation of Uthenor. *· Other smaller mountain ranges include the Westfangs, the Southspires, and the Lion’s Teeth * A desert region called the Dead Lands makes up the southwest part of the continent. *·A forest called the Writhing Woods sits in the northwest, near the Marauder Sea. *·The plains and tundra north of the Writhing Woods are simply called the Northlands. *· The Satos Sea sits in the north, and is connected to the Asomian Ocean. Nations Uthenor *· Uthenor is the most powerful nation in Dordavia. Its full name is the Vassal States of Uthenor, abbreviated VSU. *· The VSU is made up of five Vassal States: The Heartland, the Blazeland, the Southerland, the Ridge, and the Foxwood. *· The Heartland is the most densely populated region. The Foxwood is the least populous. *· Dakeron is the capital of the entire nation, and the largest city in Dordavia. *· Each Vassal state has its own capital. *· Batoz is the capital of the Heartland. *· Aloron is the capital of the Blazeland. *· Zasheron is the capital of the Ridge. *· Stoneford is the capital of the Foxwood. *· Lestiria is the capital of the Southerland. *· Each Vassal State is governed by a Vizier. The head of Uthenor is called the High Vizier. *· The VSU has a somewhat democratic government with sporadic elections. Only property-owning men are allowed to vote. *· Each of the Vassal States harbors nationalist feelings of its own, and sometimes expresses the desire to secede from Uthenor. Teldava *· The only other organized country is Teldava, an island nation in the Asomian Ocean. *· Teldava has a hereditary monarchy, but local officials and legislators are elected. The Emirates *· The region west of the Ordric Mountains, around the Marauder Sea, is called the Emirates. *· In the Emirates, each city is governed independently by an Emir, or prince. *· The Emirates are politically separate, but economically dependent on each other. Technology *· Scientists in Uthenor discovered nuclear power within the last 50 years. Since then, the major cities have developed cars, planes, and atomic bombs, but the rural areas remain technologically backward. *· Dordavia bypassed the coal and oil age and went straight from the Renaissance to the nuclear age. *· Electric lighting is still minimal, since nuclear power is not to be wasted on small devices. Most buildings are lit by wax candles made from cow tallow. *· Scientists have also made recent developments in genetics. For example, special Cavaliers ride into battle of Stormhorses, which are genetically engineered to never get tired and to have regenerative skin. *· There have been a few attempts to genetically enhance humans as well, but most have resulted in psychotic man-beasts that had to be destroyed. *· A growing number of ships, like planes, are powered by nuclear reactors, but swift old-fashioned sailing ships are still a common sight. *· The center of scientific research is called the University, a town in the Foxwood state, located on the shore of the Sea of Wisdom. Society Gender Roles *· Throughout Dordavia, and especially in Uthenor, homosexuality is the social norm. *· Heterosexuals are considered unclean, even though they are the only ones capable of producing children. Childbirth carries a dark stigma, but is regarded as a necessary evil. *· All societies in Dordavia are largely patriarchal. Men and women occupy separate spheres and rarely interact on formal occasions. *· Upper-class men are expected to have sex with men, and women are expected to have sex with women. Male-female relationships are reserved for the poor. *· Both men and women typically become sexually active in the ages 16-18. *· The legal age of adulthood is 16. *· Marriage does not exist, but often a man will establish a monogamous relationship with a man of the same age. *· Upper-class women typically live alone. Other women live in brothels in groups of 5-10. All women sharing a house are mutually sexual. *· Each brothel is run by a Mama, who acts as a mentor to the younger women – sexually, emotionally, and intellectually. *· Only men are allowed to receive formal education. The military is exclusively male. Offices of power are reserved only for men. *· Typical jobs for urban women include raising children, aiding the old, cleaning upper-class houses, running small businesses, and acting as a mentor to younger women. *· Typical jobs for urban men include crafting, trading, military service, religious positions, political positions, medicine, and law enforcement. *· Rural men and women participate in jobs such as farming, herding, cutting lumber, mining, and raising children. Religion *· The Divine Court consists of four gods, who are worshiped by men and four goddesses who are worshiped by women. Each deity has a color. *· The eight deities of the Divine Court usually have separate own temples, but there are a few common temples in large cities. *· Aginor the Red is the god of courage, duty, and warfare. *· Jaquan the Orange is the god of work, craftsmanship, and science. *· Ildor the Yellow is the god of light, passion, and chivalry. *· Brok the Black is the god of life and masculinity. *· Davelia the Green is the goddess of peace, nature, and femininity. *· Mirima the Blue is goddess of the sea and the wind *· Reorna the Purple is the goddess of art, music, and dance. *· Oda the White is the goddess of death and time. *· All citizens of Uthenor are required to worship the Divine Court. *· The people of the Emirates have their own gods, called the Fiery Five. They are all male, and represent different trades. Measuring Time *A day on Dordavia is standard length - 24 hours. *A Dordavian year has 375 days. It is divided into 8 months, which each have 47 days, except the last month which has 46. *There are nine days in each week: one dedicated to each of the eight gods, and one day of rest. *The Eight months are named after the gods. The first two months, Ildor and Jaquan, make up summer. Aginor and Brok are the fall months. The female months are in winter and spring. After Brok comes Oda and Reorna, who make up winter. The year ends with Mirima and Davelia in spring. *Major Holidays: **New Year / Midsummer Feast: 1st of Ildor **Day of Union (Independence Day): 12th of Aginor **Great Harvest: 3rd of Brok **Midwinter Feast: 1st of Oda **Day of the Dead: 47th of Oda **Day of Giving: 36th of Mirima *The Dordavians have a global calendar that measures years since the Founding, a legendary event when the first Vizier conquered Dakeron. Historical dates are described as After the Founding (AF) or Before the Fouding (BF). The current date is 724 AF. People World Population *· Dordavia has a total population of about 550 million (less than 10% of Earth’s) *· 230 million people live in Uthenor. *· 170 million people live in the Emirates *· 90 million people live in the Northlands *· 40 million people live in Teldava *· 20 million people live in unaffiliated areas Ethnic Groups *· Natives of the Heartland have a dark, but not black, complexion. *· Natives of the Blazeland have a black complexion. *· Natives of the Ridge also have a black complexion that is even darker. *· Natives of the Southerland have a white complexion, and often have dark hair. *· Natives of the Foxwood have a white complexion and often have red hair. *· Natives of Akokum have a dark complexion similar to that of India. *· Natives of Garj and Kalor have a moderate complexion similar to that of China. *· Natives of the Northlands have an extremely pale complexion, and often have blond hair. *· Ethnic diversity is the highest in large cities, such as Dakeron and Faronsbane. Rural areas are largely limited to a single ethnic group. Languages *For the last few centuries, Uthenic has been the national language of the VSU. It is also the trade language of the Emirates, though each Emirate has its own native tongue. *Uthenic has different dialects in the differnt Vassal States. In the Southerlands, they also speak a similar language called Sutheric. *Uthenic is spoken both in everyday life and in religious ceremonies. *The independent people of the Northlands speak a number of local languages. The most common is Garenic. *The island nation of Teldava has its own language called Teldic. Category:Planets